Rack hook and carrier yoke with antiswing feature



W. J. HARPER Feb, 2, E6?

RACK HOOK AND CARRIER YOKE WITH ANTI-SWING FEATURE Filed April 10, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Willard J. Harper I I. I ATTORNEYS 3,306,652 Patented Feb. 28, 1967 3,306,652 RACK HOOK AND CARRIER YOKE WITH ANTISWING FEATURE Willard J. Harper, Colts Neck, NJ., assignor to Hanson- Van Winkle-Manning C0., Matawan, N.J., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Apr. 10, 1964, Ser. No. 358,876 Claims. (Cl. 294-432) The present invention relates to Rack Hook and Carrier Yoke with Anti-Swing Feature, and has for an object to provide an anti-swing type of rack hook andcarrier yoke for use, for example, with a side arm article treatment machine such as is illustrated in the Guerin Todd U.S. Letters Patent No. 2,175,788. I do not restrict the use of my hook and yoke to this specific embodiment of machine, but am using that solely as an illustration of a type of machine with which the present invention may be employed.

The rack hook and yoke of the present invention will permit of either side or end loading of an article treatment machine in which the work to be treated is hung on an article carrier and the article carrier is in turn fed to the processing or treatment machine.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a hook and yoke which will interlock in seated position and resist dislodgment in any of 360 directions incident to load imparted thereon when entering or moving through article treatment baths at treatment stations. This is attained by the provision of a construction providing a locking positive physical engagement between the hook and the yoke whereby slippage will not occur and whereby when electrical current is employed, for example, in electroplating, a good firm electrical-mechanical contact is made between the rack hook and yoke so that arcing or burning does not occur. In the prior art when an elevator lowers work hangers containing articles to be treated into a bath or moves the article carrier through a treatment station, the fluid treatment swirl or eddy currents set up in the bath sometimes causes rocking or sWinging of the rack hook relative to the yoke which results in a less efiicient electrical contact between the two and a much less physically rigid connection. I have overcome these deficiencies with the instant construction.

With the foregoing and other objects in View, the invention Will be more fully described hereinafter, and will be more particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

In the drawings, wherein like symbols refer to like or corresponding parts throughout the several views:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the rack 'hook and yoke of the present invention in a phase of loading position showing parts in solid and broken lines.

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view similar to FIGURE 1 With the rack hook engaged in the yoke in the article reatment position.

FIGURE 3 is a vertical section through the carrier yoke constructed in accordance with the present invention.

FIGURE 4 is a front elevational view of the carrier yoke of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 5 is a top plan view of the yoke of FIGURES 3 and 4.

FIGURE 6 is a top plan view of the rack hook constructed in accordance with the present invention.

FIGURE 7 is a vertical section taken through the rack hook of FIGURE 6.

FIGURE 8 is a vertical section through the rack hook and yoke with the rack hook not fully seated in the yoke.

FIGURE 9 is a view similar to FIGURE 8 with the rack hook fully seated in the yoke.

'ill

FIGURE 10 is a top plan view of the fully seated rack hook and carrier yoke of FIGURE 9. g

Referring more particularly to the drawings and for the moment to FIGURES l and2, the numeral 10 designates a side arm of an article'treatment machine of the type referred to hereina'bove, and 11 denotes a work carrier for carrying articles to be treated, which work carrier is to be loaded by a loader 12. a

A carrier yoke 13 having a bifurcated V -typeconstrution defining walls 14 and 15 having a slotl'lfi-therebetween, which slot has a V-type mouth defined by the walls 17 and 18, gives entrance ,to a base 19 having a truncated lip 20. v

Secured to the top of the work carrier 1 1; is a rack hook 21 having V-type side walls 22, 23 and a hook nose 24 having an undercut 25. Secured to the side. walls 22, 23 is an inverted V-shape member 26 having walls 27 and 28. The Walls 22 and 23 are welded to the wall 27 of the loader-lifter 26 and this joint is further reinforced by'a connector fillet 29 which is likewise welded between the rack hook 21 and the loader-lifter 26.

In operation trunnions of the loader 12 enter beneath the inverted V-shaped walls of the loader-lifter 26 and advance the work rack 11 and the rack hook 21 in a direction such that the hook nose 24 of the rack hook 21 passes through the slot 16 in the carrier yoke 13 and the loader 12 then permits the rack hook 21 and its connected work carrier 11 to descend to the position of FIGURE 2 such that the hook nose 24 projects through the slot 16 and the undercut portion 25 of the .hook nose 24 seats against the base 19 of the yoke and the truncated lip 20 to form a firm mechanical-electrical connection between the yoke and work hook, as best seen in FIG- URES 2 and 9.

When the article treatment cycle has been completed, an unloader similar to the loader 12 will engage beneath the loader-lifter 26 and raise the hook nose upwardly in the slot 16 of the yoke and withdraw the rack hook from contact with the yoke when the bottom of the hook nose 24 is clear of contact with the base 19 of the yoke.

The path of movement of the work carrier 11 through the machine for article treatment purposes is as shown by the arrow in FIGURE 2.

It is to be noted that because of the complemental V-shape construction existing between the yoke and rack hook, a positive physical engagement is maintained between the walls 15 and 23 and 14 and 22, as best seen in FIGURES 2 and 10, to give a tighter physical mechanical connection as well as the necessary electrical connection. The hook nose 24 extending down over the base portion of the yoke 13 resists dislodgment of the hook relative to the yoke in a direction at right angles to travel. The mechanical pressure existing between the undercut portion 25 of the hook nose 24 against the truncated lip 20 and base 19 of the yoke construction keeps a clean positive electrical connection between the yoke and the rack hook and work carrier.

The yoke and rack hook of the present invention may be positioned on the side arm of the machine for either side loading or end loading. In the embodiment illustrated, side loading has been employed.

Although I have disclosed herein the best form of the invention known to me at this time, I reserve the right to all such modifications and changes as may come within the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. For use with an article treatment machine having a side arm movable up and down over and along a line of treatment stations for conveying articles to be treated carried by a Work carrier, a device for detachably supporting the carrier from the side arm comprising (a) a first support member afiixed to the side arm,

(b) a second support member affixed to the work carrier,

() complemental interengaging means having at least two parts, one of said parts being carried by the first support member and the other part being attached to the second support member arranged to permit relative sliding movement of the second support member downwardly relative to the first support member, incident to imposition of load of the work carrier,

((1) interlocking means associated with the interengaging means 'for automatically shifting the second support member tightly against the first support member incident to said downward sliding movement of the second support member for wedging the members into tight interlocking engagement resisting rocking movement of the work carrier in the treatment stations incident to liquid swirl and eddy currents, and

(e) loader means carried by said second support member positioned to automatically present and remove the second support member from interengagement with the first support member 2. A device as claimed in claim 1 in which said first and second support members are (f) acutely angled converging forwardly to upright apices, said interengaging means comprising in one member (g) a slot along its apex and (h) a hook projection extending downwardly from the apex of the other member adapted to enter said slot.

3. A device as claimed in claim 2 in which the interlocking means comprises (i) a hook projection on one of said support members having (j) a lower edge inclined from the front free end thereof rearwardly and in which said other support member has (k) a slot base wall on which said inclined lower edge of the hook projection slides and is supported in an action which wipes the walls of said second support member downwardly against the mating walls of the other member while moving the walls of the two members tightly together.

4. A device as claimed in claim 3 in which said base wall of the slot has (I) a downwardly and forwardly sloping forward edge mating with and supporting the inclined lower edge of said hook projection.

5. A device as claimed in claim 1 in which the walls of (f) a slot in said first support member has (g) downwardly and forwardly inclining edges leading to the upper open end of the slot for guiding the other member of said interengaging means into the slot.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,042,241 5/1936 Turnock. 2,103,106 12/1937 Yurkovitch 248--224 2,675,348 4/ 1954 Greenspan 20-4-297 3,059.735 10/ 1962 Sowinski 24-222 X GERALD M. FORLENZA, Primary Examiner.

G. F. ABRAHAM, Assistant Examiner. 

1. FOR USE WITH AN ARTICLE TREATMENT MACHINE HAVING A SIDE ARM MOVABLE UP AND DOWN OVER AND ALONG A LINE OF TREATMENT STATIONS FOR CONVEYING ARTICLES TO BE TREATED CARRIED BY A WORK CARRIER, A DEVICE FOR DETACHABLY SUPPORTING THE CARRIER FROM THE SIDE ARM COMPRISING (A) A FIRST SUPPORT MEMBER AFFIXED TO THE SIDE ARM, (B) A SECOND SUPPORT MEMBER AFFIXED TO THE WORK CARRIER, (C) COMPLEMENTAL INTERENGAGING MEANS HAVING AT LEAST TWO PARTS, ONE OF SAID PARTS BEING CARRIED BY THE FIRST SUPPORT MEMBER AND THE OTHER PART BEING ATTACHED TO THE SECOND SUPPORT MEMBER ARRANGED TO PERMIT RELATIVE SLIDING MOVEMENT OF THE SECOND SUPPORT MEMBER DOWNWARDLY RELATIVE TO THE FIRST SUPPORT MEMBER, INCIDENT TO IMPOSITION OF LOAD OF THE WORK CARRIER, (D) INTERLOCKING MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH THE INTERENGAGING MEANS FOR AUTOMATICALLY SHIFTING THE SECOND SUPPORT MEMBER TIGHTLY AGAINST THE FIRST SUPPORT MEMBER INCIDENT TO SAID DOWNWARD SLIDING MOVEMENT OF THE SECOND SUPPORT MEMBER FOR WEDGING THE MEMBERS INTO TIGHT INTERLOCKING ENGAGEMENT RESISTING 